Reviews by RustyDiamond:

Poured this 22oz bottle into the special SA Lager glass.
Very clear, yellowish-orange appearance with a small white frothy head.
Aroma of grapefruit & honey.
Very fragrant hop nose. Crisp, hoppy mouthfeel...all hops. Not much malt backbone to speak of, but not overloaded with hop flavor. Somehow, this beer is crisp. Nice hop finish, but not too strong.
This IPA (?) is very drinkable.

More User Reviews:

Thanks to Larry at Pipe and Pint for giving me this for "old times sake" the other day.Poured into a standard pint glass a clear light to medium golden with a tight formed 1/2 finger bone white head,fresh floral hop nose with a bit of pine and toasty malt.Flavors are quite toasted like cereal grain upfront melding into a tangerine and herbal hop flavor but its rather mild really.An easy drinker the hops dont quite pack the punch I expected but still a pretty darn good brew here.

Very creamy velvety gives a suprizingly light feel,a slick oily feel with juicy stickyness.Goes down nicely and too quick. Had this sent to me by Kwakwhore a few months ago, wish i would have tried it sooner,could tell the hops had faded a bit,would still pick some up if avalible in my area. Feel like i missed out a bit by waiting to try this one.

A: Pours a tangerine copper with a bit of hazing. Decent heads forms and falls within a minute or so. Some decent bits of lacing.

S: Some citrus and pine but not overly powerful. Definitely some floral notes that might be from some English hopping. Malts are nearly balancing with sweetness and some toasted nuts.

T/M: The bitterness is a bit on the weak side. No dating on the bottle but I don't think it was too old. Theirs still citrus and light pine notes as well as some grassy hops. Light on the oils and resins. The malts pretty much balance all the way out with the sweet caramel-y and nutty flavors. Body is a bit above medium with controlled carbonation.

D: Decent tasting and relatively easy drinking. Not as 'in your face' as I'd have liked it to be.

A clear golden amber beer with light almost white head. The head leaves subtle webbing and a small island of bubbles in the center of the glass after dissipation.

The smell is mostly malty sweetness. There is a little citrusy hop scent but its mild and is very thin for an American IPA.

Taste has all the attributes of an above average American IPA but one thats been watered down. All the flavors seem very muted and although they are there it seems like this one could be better with a little more balance between the malts and hops.

There is a decent mouthfeel from a firm carbonation and a surprising hop bitterness. Odd because there isn't a big hop taste or nose to this one.

All in all not a bad IPA but also not a great one. I feel like this one was created under good intensions but falls short of the mark. However with hop shortages we can probably expect more beer just like this.

Appearance: It's a little hazy and golden in color. It has a slight orange tint to it when held the right way. The head is about a finger and a half deep and is white in color. Retention was pretty short and a light, spotty coat of lace lined the glass.

Smell: Hops jump out the glass initially. It's a very diverse hop profile (or at least it smells that way). They're piney, citric, and even a little floral. Pretty impressive. There's some sweet citrus grapefruit and pineapple in there. There's a very heavy caramel malt aroma, which is a disappointing for me personally. It smells like there's way too much malt and actually detracts from the other aromas. Alcohol appears to be masked very well (assuming it's high).

Taste: Citrus grapefruit and pineapple flavors are sweet and refreshing. Caramel malts were added with absolutely no restraint. They're sweet and too prominent in flavor. The hops are somewhat flavorful and do feature some piney, citric, and floral elements. There's a bit of a bitter taste, but ultimately it's too drowned out by the malts. That's a negative (and not a small one). It's way too balanced for my preference. There's a nice earthy/grainy presence to it. Alcohol is mildly noticeable toward the end, but it doesn't appear to be very strong.

Mouthfeel/Drinkability: This one's medium bodied and has a very creamy and smooth mouthfeel. That's easily this beer's strong suit. It goes down so smooth and easy. Carbonation is restrained and a little light (bolstering the nice feel). Drinkability is good. It is relatively easy to drink, but there's a number of IPAs I'd choose over this one. It just doesn't resonate with me like I'd hoped.

Ultimately, Hop Shortage is a pretty decent IPA, but I wouldn't go much better than that. I'll give Terrapin some credit...they got the name right. Hop Shortage it is (and not by a little bit). It needs a lot less malts and way more hops. It just ends up being too balanced and lacking in hop bitterness. It's just not my thing for an IPA. If you're into balanced, not very bitter IPAs, this one's for you.

Pours a clear dark golden amber color with a finger or two of foamy brite-white head. Maintains a good looking layer of retention that leaves some nice looking lacing behind. The aroma is a little subdued but I still pick up some notes of herbal, grassy hops and earthy tones of sweet malt.

The taste is a lively biting hop presence up front. It's not really a big, up front bite though, with the bitterness being more spread out and is well balanced by zesty citrus notes and a backing caramel sweetness that nicely reigns in those herbal hops. Finishes predominantly bitter and a little dry. The mouthfeel has a light medium body with a tingling carbonation and an easy feel.

This is a tasty and easy drinking one-off IPA from Terrapin that while not a total bitter-bomb, will still definitley fill any hop cravings that you may have. This is a good start to the new Side Project line and I look forward to seeing what comes next.

A: Poured about half the bomber into my Duvel glass. The beer is a brilliantly clear amber color with a hint of orange. An inch of fluffy head forms from a moderate pour with copious lace sticking to the glass as it slowly recedes.

S: The aroma reminds me of the beer's name, not the ironic implications in the name. There's just a faint citrus aroma on top of a dried apricot malt nose.

T: Assertive bitterness up front, but certainly not a "hop bomb". Nice grapefruit flavors are readily apparent. The malt backbone is a bit odd... flavorful but thin with a bit of a dry cracker/toast.

M: Good carbonation, but a bit thin. I want lupulins coating my tongue!

Poured from a 650ml bottle into a pint glass. The beer poured a nice clear orange/golden color with a nice white head. The aroma was good, reminded me of an imperial IPA without the alcohol, really strong hoppy aroma. The taste was really good if you like an IPA, and I do. All hops all the time, maybe a little pine, but the hops dominated the flavor. This beer was really well done and wish they would consider making it year round. The beer had a medium body and was smooth with a nice bitter aftertaste. Highly drinkable. Overall, an excellent beer. Highly recommend.

A 650 mL foil capped bottle courtesy of a recent trade with mikesgroove.

A: The IPA is an orange amber color, appearing rather watered down as I stare into it. A thick head, almost three fingers, blanketed the glass and is leaving thick patches of foam as it recedes.

S: The aroma, especially when the bottle was first cracked, was bitingly citric. Lots of apricot and tangerine notes create a nice start. As the ale breathes, bigger malts also emerge and support more hop bitterness.

T: The taste is not as big as the nose lets on. In a way, I'm happy because the nose seemed too big. Caramel grains provide the backbone with a cereal flavor that doesn't go too far. The bitterness is pervasive but not focused. In fact, the best aspect of the hop profile is the lingering fruit rind flavor in the finish. The hop flavor is reminiscent of cascade with its glorious citrus foundation.

M: The beer does best when you take a sip and pause to let the bitterness wash over your tastebuds. Orange rinds and sweet citrus fruits keep things lively.

D: The ale does seem a little heavy even though it never betrays much alcohol. The hop finish is enough to make you come back for more.

Two and a half fingers of rocky light tan head is easily achieved and has nice retention. A scattered crown of lace is left. Body is a murky honey wheat amber in color. Nose has nice creamy sweet hops that are a bit sappy and balanced by a dose of malt. Hops are very diverse as you take first sip. The hop feel is not big but include minerals, sappy pine, citrus rind and alchol based chemicals. Crisp overall on the tongue. Malts are dry and balance the brew decently. Mouthfeel is a consistant mix of rich and bitter that is almost rocky. Bitter does intensify as you continue to drink. Solid drinkability.

22 received in trade from ATLBeerDog.. I wanted a little hop bite tonight.. Shared with Brenda.. she's up late working.. I'm up late enjoying brews. Mine poured into my New Belgium snifter.

2 finger head is chunky and leaves nice lacing.. brew is very clear golden orange.. head dies quickly.

Aroma is citrus hops... grapefruit and more than enough pine.. sweeter than normal pale malts..

Flavor mirrors the aroma with the citrus hops.. but there isn't the expected bitterness.. some bite is there.. but not enough... malts are fairly big and a little too big.. grainy and caramel make a bigger than expected presence... finish is yeasty fruitiness with the remnants of citric hops. Body is medium for an IPA and light for a DIPA.. carbonation is pretty good.. leading me into my next sip.

This bottle has been refrigerated from the time I received it.. I guess I was just expecting a little bit more.

Big thanks to ATLBeerDog for the chance to try this brew.. It is not as bad as I made it out to be... I really just wanted to be punched in the jaw by the IBU's.

Clear yellow gold with a thin white head that quickly slips down to a bubbly collar. The aroma starts out fairly dank...hoppy for sure. Juicy fruits, pineapple and melon - lightly resinous and sweet throughout. More grains as it warms. Taste is hop-forward as well. Bright fruits over a sweet grainy base. Juicy. Medium bodied and a little oily.

A solid, uncomplicated IPA all around. Nothing so amazing that I would run out and get another, especially for $6+ a bottle. Not bad though.

I have had this beer a number of times over the last year or so, but never did seem to get around to reviewing it. Managed to sneak another one the other night so here we go. Served cold and poured into a pint glass.

Appearance - Pours our a very nice orange amber in color. Clear with a lot of carbonation streaming up toward the surface throughout the session. Big foamy white head on top settles down nicely and leaves tons of sticky side glass lacing.

Aroma - Nice hoppy nose. Piney with hints of herbal grass notes and a touch of light grain as it warms. Light pinch of orange peel as it opens up as well.

Taste - Clean, crisp and light. Not as hoppy as one might think given the name, but quite nice. Qucik hitting dose of piney hops in front melt into a light malt base. Buttery at times with nice grainy quality. It fades back with a nice light and very bright dry bitter finish.

Feel - Agin nice and light, refreshing with a nice carbonation. Nothing too thick at all and everything checks in just about right.

Drinkability - Very easy to drink this one, in fact I could easily polish off the bottle and head down for another without batting an eye.

Overall very solid. Not a huge beast of an IPA, but rather a nice hoppy pale ale that seems to be very well balanced. A nice one timer for sure.

Pours the color of a sunset with a minimul sticky white head. Solid ring of drippy wet lace.
Floral, spicy and piney hops in the nose.
This isn't a huge mouth-puckering hop bomb. It is a very good and tasty hoppy beer. Caramel malts with some sweet fruit, spicy and grassy hop taste. Very well balanced.
Mouthfeel is slick and smooth.
Way too easy to drink. THe bomber empties fast.

Pours a clear amber color with a nice one finger white head that leaves nice touches of lacing on the glass.

Being billed as a hop bomb, the aroma is relatively subdued. Mellow citric hops make up most of the aroma, followed by a slight soapy (maybe?) smell that should not be there.

Slightly crisp, somewhat citrusy hops come out here with a decent lingering bitterness. However, each sip, the hops seem to lead up ready to end nice and crisp, but each time, it falls just a touch short. Still though, not bad. Just not great.

Mouthfeel is ok, but with the malt, hops and carbonation combo this comes out somewhat watery.

Drinkability is good.

This beer has grown on me slightly, but I also wouldn't call it a great American IPA.

A: The beer is light copper in color and has a light amount of visible carbonation. It poured with a thin off white head that quickly faded away and left lacy patterns of bubbles.
S: There are moderate aromas of grapefruit hops in the nose.
T: The taste is similar to the smell and also has flavors of biscuit malts. A medium amount of bitterness is present.
M: It feels medium-bodied and crisp on the palate and has a moderate amount of carbonation.
D: The beer is relatively easy to drink.

Poured into a glass pours a liquid gold color with a foamy pinkish white head. Smell is pretty good tarty, grass, reminds me of a nice summer day. Taste was pretty good, I was expecting this to be a hop bomb but it was a bit towned down and very well balanced between all the ingredients. Over all this was a damn fine offering and just wish there was more of it around.